YFE – Smash Bash at Smash Burger

Me and the hubby were wanting a good burger and Somerset has nothing. We were bored and starving so we headed to Lexington. I always pass by smash burger b/​c I never figured it was that great. It’s logo looks exactly like Game Stop so we always just drive past: P
Well today we ate there and I am super glad we did. Best burger I’ve ever had. Husband agreed. He’s always a big Five Guys Nazi. He won’t even give another place a chance but he did and he changed his tune. I got the Classic Smash Burger. It looks like an average burger but it must be the meat. It was so goooood! Also got the deep fried pickles and a strawberry shake… I splurged lol. Didn’t have a single complaint.
Staff was also very friendly. Will definitely be back!

First customer of the day. Check was slightly over $ 50 for two adults and two teenagers for burgers and fries. Food was hot a fresh, very good service. Seats in booth were damaged and held together with tape (scratched back of leg).

The Unilocal event was suggested to me by Kristina P. and I tagged along, having no idea what to expect. Would I need money? Do I get to sample one entrée? All of them? A prix fixe?
It was a lot of worry for nothing. Although I’m no stranger to SmashBurger, and I am not one to shy away from ordering something other than the usual, this was a fantastic experience for anyone who wanted to learn more about their favorite place, or just wanted to get their foot in the door and see what it’s all about in a VERY low-​risk way.
Obviously, free food and drink is going to inflate any experience I have, regardless of venue. But this truly was an embarrassingly generous amount of everything. From two alcoholic beverages (if wanted), to the grab-​bag giveaways, and of course all the food that was provided, it was hard to think of how our hosts could be more generous. Sure, the franchise owner Jim would give us his pitch about his stores that we were obligated to listen to, but he struck me as a good ol’ boy type and amused us with the inner-​workings of being a restaurant owner along with the sale. Also, the staff: both the local waiters and cooks that prepared and served us our meals, to the corporate personnel on hand to make sure everything was on point and (as warned) tell us real groaner puns, were polite, warm, and friendly. And of course, Heather made sure everything went smoothly.
But can I get back to the food? Wow. I’ve had the classic; excellent as always. The black bean burger was better than I remembered it being. And I finally got to prove to Kristina how good the spinach and goat cheese chicken sandwich was. The real treat was the burgers I hadn’t tried yet; it seemed to be a consensus in the room that the mushroom truffle burger was a runaway hit. And while I did enjoy it, the Buffalo crispy chicken sandwich should have its praises sang here too. Don’t like a certain chicken sandwich place’s politics? Just order a crispy chicken sandwich here the way they serve it there, done. You won’t miss it, promise. Also, their sides can please anyone. French fries thin and crispy with salt, French fries with Buffalo seasoning, French fries with olive oil and herbs (the Smashfries, my favorite), fried veggies, and fried pickles. Yes, you can get a side salad too if you’re counting calories, but those pickles have a delicious cornmeal-​dusted batter. Corn and pickles are a vegetable, right? What if they’re fried like the Veggie Frites?
Anyway, it was a bit like being in a classroom and it’s a special visitor day: You get to sit and listen a bit, they shove hot food in front of you to keep your attention, and then you get to see how everything is done at the end of it, or just hold your belly and moan at eating the equivalent of two and a half sandwiches in the form of cut burger quarters. It’s worth the stomachache though!

An unbelievable amount of food and drink was served at this event!
Our table missed out on a few of the appetizers and at first I was bummed about that, but it turned out to be a good thing. We sampled both the fried pickles and the buffalo fries. The pickles I enjoyed but the fries were a bit too spicy for me.
I normally don’t eat burgers and opt for veggie burgers or grilled chicken sandwiches to save calories, but I splurged at this event. The 1^st burger out of the gate, the Truffle Mushroom Swiss, was my hands-​down favorite of the night. I am notorious for altering items at restaurants and had I not have sampled the burger, I would have eliminated the truffle mayo as I normally don’t care for any version of mayo on my burgers/​sandwiches. Removing the mayo would have been a detriment to this burger so lesson learned!
The Spinach, Cucumber, and Goat Cheese Grilled Chicken sandwich was my favorite dish of the evening and will be my new go-​to at Smashburger!
I was full before dessert time but I still sampled the shakes. I tried a strawberry, salted caramel, Nutter Butter, and a PB&J. The Nutter Butter was my favorite but the PB&J was surprisingly a close 2^nd.
At the end of the evening they took us in the kitchen and showed us how a Smashburger is grilled.
This was a great event! I enjoyed learning more about the company and tasting most if the menu offerings. The only negative was the number of calories I consumed;)

A smashing event!
Another great event from Unilocal.All the samples were yummy. Although I have been to smashburger many times I hadn’t tried a big portion of their menu so this was a good way for me to try small amounts of many things.
All of the staff were very friendly and helpful. Overall a great event!

This was my first Unilocal event but I hope it won’t be my last. What a blast!
I’ve been to Smashburget before, but I haven’t gone very often in the past because while they have an OUTSTANDING classic cheeseburger, there just aren’t that many evenings when I want to eat out and want a burger. I’m very glad I went to this event because I got to try a bunch of non-​cheeseburger menu items I wouldn’t have taken a chance on, and I found several of them to be very good. I’ll be more likely to go in the future.
The grilled chicken was as nice a quality as their beef, which is a big plus because at a lot of local places the grilled chicken tastes like cardboard and is clearly an afterthought. That is not the case here. The crispy chicken was really excellent too. I thought the crispy chicken sandwich we tried was unusually well seasoned. And although we didn’t get to taste a salad, they brought one out for us to look at and the veggies were fresh and tasty looking. The menu indicates you can get either of the chicken types on a salad, so I’ll be back to try a chicken salad for sure.
My table-​mate and I tried 3 of the apps, the smashfries with rosemary and olive oil were excellent, but I already knew that. I didn’t know that the sweet potato fries taste almost as good. The fried pickles were nice, not nearly as heavily breaded as some places and not too greasy, a fault which continues keep me from enjoying them at some other establishments. The buffalo fries were a bit too spicy for me, but even so they paired well with ranch dip.
Of course I stuffed myself with more burger ¼s than I care to admit. Among the burgers, the mushroom swiss with truffle oil was the most interesting. The flavor was unusually delicate for a burger place. I also discovered that Smashburger has some awesome multigrain buns. They’re very fluffy instead of the dense hockey puck you get at some places. The veggie burger’s black bean patty was very… well, beany. So much so that I think the burger would been a lot better as a build-​your-​own (they do have that option) with sour cream. It wasn’t dry at all, just that you can really taste the beans and they were overpowering the other flavors. Then again, I’ll put sour cream on just about anything and consider it a win, so there’s that. A lot of veggie patties taste like ground paper to me, but this one tasted like food at least. In the future I won’t shy away from taking vegetarian friends here; there are good options and the non-​meat menu items don’t get short shrift.
And then lastly, there were the shakes. Now, I’m not sure if it is possible to make a bad standard milkshake, but using premium ice cream results in a superior one. The vanilla and chocolate were great. I thought the peanut butter and jelly shake was entertaining, it reminded me of Willy Wonka’s dinner candy… at first it tasted like peanut butter and icecream and then after a moment the jelly flavor hits ya. I thought it and the salted caramel shake had a vague chemical aftertaste that wasn’t an issue in the vanilla and chocolate.
I asked a lot of pesky questions which the owner answered pretty candidly and not to get too political, but I have really been trying lately to avoid business that only pay their workers minimum wage. Even in our cheap town that isn’t enough to live on. Before I could even ask, the owner brought up the fact that they pay their workers well. I stopped a server on the way out and asked her if he was really telling the truth. They told me they were, and volunteered the info that they were making $ 10+ an hour, and that the turnover at that location is very low. The two cooks and the manager had all been there since the place opened, which I take as a sign of better-​than-​average working conditions. It was pretty clear that the employees working the event really took pride in their products and service and that the owner had a real passion for the place. So I can add Smashburger to my (sadly short) list of places I can go and feel good about the choice.
All in all I had a blast and I am looking forward to heading back to Smashburger this weekend to try my hand at designing the perfect chicken sandwich! And hey, if some Smashfries end up on my plate, well… ;-)

I just loved this place. I have never been to it until the other night. I enjoyed sampling the different burger and chicken sandwiches. I enjoyed all the burgers not so much the one with blue cheese (for I am not a blue cheese fan). The burger were so moist it melt in your mouth with very soft & fresh buns. My favorite burger was the truffle mushroom & swiss cheese, as well the bacon burger. The fried pickles were a hit with me, for this was the first time ever trying them. The shakes were a sweet end to the night. The prices are very resonable. The owner Jim, was very nice and enjoyable with his stories. He even took pride in his customers that was turned away for our event, he made them happy to come back. The staff were way friendly. I would diffently go back to Smashburger again. I did take pictures but really didnt come out to well. Thank you Jim for having us there. Also a shout out to Heather for a wonderful Unilocal night, Thank You.

Thanks to Jim and his staff for hosting us at Smashburger. My favorite of the night was the Truffle Mushroom Burger with Swiss cheese on a very nice egg bun — an uncomplicated burger that let the meat shine through. Of the fries, the sweet potato fries. I was ready to raise the white flag when the shakes came. Strawberry and salted caramel! Now that I’ve had my meat intake for the week. ..

This Unilocal event was stellar. Heather did a great job organizing the event and the staff at SmashBurger was very engaging throughout the evening. The food was top quality and gave me a chance to try some of the burgers and chicken sandwiches that I may not have otherwise experienced. Each was delicious! With the awesome service and expeirence, I will he sure to add SmashBurger into my regular rotation.

I always enjoy the Unilocal events, and this one was no exception. The owner and staff were very friendly and provided excellent service and I enjoyed getting to taste so many different menu items (the mushroom swiss was my favorite, and I was impressed with their milkshakes as well). This was my first time at Smash Burger, and I appreciated learning about their business. Heather always puts together a great time for Unilocalers and I really enjoyed getting to know and catching up with the people I was seated with, appreciated the swag, and was very excited to win some giveaways! My free burgers for a year certainly guarantees I’ll be returning to Smash Burger in the future (many times, in fact!), and I’m looking forward to future Unilocal events as well. Thanks for a fun evening!

Another great Unilocal event. I left happy and overly stuffed!
Smash Burger was quite generous with their offerings. I do wish that instead of getting one giant/​different appetizer per table, they gave each table a small sampler of various appetizers. I didn’t get to try a few things! Having said that, I enjoyed getting to taste different offerings. So many burgers to try!
The corporate representative that came from Denver was very friendly and informative. All the staff members were also really friendly and helpful with all the services. However, I wasn’t completely happy with the franchise owner. Yes, he was welcoming and ready to please everyone. I did see him walk around and talk to different tables. But he was also a bit rude at times. The seating arrangement for the evening encouraged conversations around small tables but it seemed like he wanted everyone to listen to him all the time. I was sitting close to where he was standing and every time he wanted to talk and get people’s attention, he snapped at the tables close-​by. I felt a bit uncomfortable at times but despite him, I really enjoyed learning about Smash Burger and what they offer.

This gathering was another great Unilocal event. Thanks to Heather, the Smash Burger corporate office, and the local owner, Jim, the event was a lot of fun.
The Goods: we did get to taste a lot of different items from the menu, the food was fresh and delicious, and the wait staff were very attentive (thank you Emily and Diego!). The restaurant was closed to the public during the event, which was really nice. Before each sampling was distributed, we were told about what we were going to be eating and had a chance to view it. I will definitely eat here in the future and will recommend it to friends & family.
The Not-​So-​Goods: The layout was a bit crowded, but I don’t think there was much anyone could do to fix that. The owner seemed to want to keep everyone’s attention on him (sometimes it felt a bit demanding), but it was very difficult to hear him at times and it disrupted the flow of the evening and did not allow for much co-​mingling amongst fellow Unilocalers. I really didn’t like that each table received a different side item; it would have been better to have a smaller sampling of everything for each table. We tried sharing amongst those on either side of us, but there was no silverware and I didn’t like that my hands were in others’ food and vice versa.
Again, though, the event overall was great. I appreciate the opportunity I was given to attend and I look forward to more events in the future. Great job everyone!

Huge thanks to Heather & the staff at Smash Burger for giving us this 5 star event! Not only was the franchise owner in attendance but someone flew out from Corporate in Denver, CO to make sure we had an awesome event. Talk about customer service. They closed the restaurant for us but the owner went out numerous times to give coupons to the people who tried to visit. More customer service! This was my first time having Smash Burger & boy was I impressed. I can’t wait to bring my family to this restaurant. Highlights for me include: Buffalo Blue chicken sandwich, sweet potato fries, bluegrass burger, chocolate milkshake. The quality of the food is superb and the prices are excellent for such quality (in my opinion). My only gripe? Put one in Hamburg… Hamburgers belong in Hamburg!

SMASH!
I really like that word.
SMASH!
Anyway… I’ll get back on topic.
I had an enjoyable evening at last night’s Smashburger event.
What I loved about this event:
— Chatting with the sweet Unilocalers sitting nearby.
— The presentation of each dish. I liked how the woman (I forgot her name) took her time to explain what was in each burger and walked around the room showing what the entire burger looked like.
— The owner tried to be involved, sharing history, stories, and jokes. He seems to take pride in the establishment, and I had no idea it was a franchise!
— The amount of burger samples — I’m sure everyone else enjoyed them. ;D
— Oh, and the milkshake samples! So many of them! Soooo good.
— Going back to see them smash a burger. Yes, it was just a simple SMASH!
— The giveaways for a year of burgers and zip-​lining.
— The swag! Love the new fold-​up Unilocal bag and the Smashburger coupon.
— The customer service. The place was closed to the public but the owner went outside every chance he could to give coupons to people that hoped to dine at Smashburger that night.
I was pretty bummed there weren’t more appetizer samples going around. Our table only had the deep-​fried pickles (which I loooooved) and later, a serving of the spicy fries. I saw in a photo they had sweet potato fries — I would have loved to try those.
And then…
Because I was the only vegetarian present (as the owner kept pointing out…), I had expected to come and just fill up on sides, shakes, and a few bites of the black bean veggie burger. To my surprise, the restaurant staff offered to cook me an entire black bean burger, which was very nice of them!
I did, however, think the black bean burger was kind of flavorless. I’ve been to a Smashburger once before and really loved the black bean burger. I think I did a make-​your-​own-​burger that time because this didn’t taste as good. When the owner asked me how I liked it, I tried to be honest and tell him that the bean burger itself was good, but there wasn’t much flavor. He didn’t really seem to accept that and kept insisting it was still a good burger. Meh?
Through the night, I consumed a root beer, a glass of water, a few deep-​fried pickle pieces, a bite of the spicy fries (not my thing), a couple pieces of the veggie appetizer, half of a black bean burger, and two small milkshakes… and I WAS STUFFED! I don’t know how every else made room in their stomachs for apps, beer, seven different types of burgers (which pretty much equalled two burgers in portions), and several milkshake samples. I even went to sleep last night groaning about my stuffed stomach. Crazy!
Yet another pleasant Lexington Unilocal event! Thank you, Heather & Unilocal

Awesome event!!! Great staff and host at Smashburger. Jim, the owner, was fantastic. The Truffle Mushroom Burger is my favorite and the Salted Caramel Shake was super good. Heather, another fabulous event!!!

Awesome event! I never knew how many different delicious burgers were here. I absolutely love the information from Jim the owner of smashburger! Thank you Jim for the history and entertaining conversation. Our hostess was great and the accompaniment to the great food was great jokes too. Thank you Heather our Unilocal fellow you always! Put on a fabulous event. The stars of the show food wise for me were the truffle burger and the salted caramel milkshake WOW_!

Absolutely wonderful!!! I had such a fun evening at this event. All of the burgers, sides, and shakes were great and the service was excellent. I have always been a fan of Smashburger but attending the event tonight made me realize how great every menu item is, and how nice the owner and employees were to have us there. Thank you SO much to each of them, and to Heather, for organizing such an awesome event. Also, the goody bags were great! I can’t wait to go back!

My first Unilocal event and it could not have been better. Lots of burgers. Really liked the buffalo fries. Jim the owner was very personable and is really proud of his business and his team.
Look forward to attending more Unilocal events in the future.

Nothing bad to say about this Unilocal event, just a great reminder how delicious Smash Burger is. I had thought I would like the Bluegrass Burger best… And although it was delicious the truffle mushroom burger totally blew me away. I’m definitely coming back for more of that.
And I won a ticket to the Incredible Food Show. Awesome! If I didn’t seem surprised or excited, it’s because I had totally forgotten about the contest and was not expecting it at all! SO EXCITED!
Great work once again, Heather!